The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-02-11
LOUIE AND l.
By HARRIET PRESCOTT sroFroRp.

| never IN all my lie had the least eN,
pcctation of lovers, or of any sort of ad
miring glances; and never had any. AND
sometimes mother used to say she guessed
1 1t was just as well. for if she had had tc
dress two girls out for their pretty looks,
Z as she did one, it would have beegarcd
her. Mother only had a little money,
/ Just barely enough to live on, and some
of the principal going every year, but il
wouldn't have been in human nature,
having daughter so pretty as Louie,
not to want her to have the best that
would set off her peach-boom beauty;
and, for my part, never grudged Louie
rose or a ribbon. | couldn't have worn
them ii l had had them, for l was far
too proud to try TO do what Nature
hadn't, or to pretend I thought such
l things became me; and liked my print
dresses and plain collars better for my
self.
But when Louie was dressed in her mus.
Z Inns till she looked like one of the old
fashioned blush roses. 50 white without
+ and so delicately flushed within, her
lovely yellow hair breaking out in sunny
curls all over her head, and she all radi-
ant, as you might say, with her skin, her
smiles, her teeth her great blue, beam
ing eyes-then used to like to look at
her as much as any Of her loyess5 4 5slsfefy
Z lonis @t, ha1iu snc always turned from her
gayest scene-the dear little person-to
give her sweetest smile to me.
So when Dennis began all at once to
come to our house, as if he had Just seen
Louie for the first time in his life, was
only delighted. For every one who knew
him loved and houored Dennis Reed. who
was the soul of all integrity; and il he
wasn't beauty himself, he was q stalwart
son OF Saul, and had the incest Little place
in the region-a cottage up lane. over
looking the river, and with wood be-
hind its orchard and across the railway
cut, TO keep off the east wind-if the
east wind could ever blow in that sunny
nook with a garden spot made and
blooming in every Granny of the rocks
around it.
He married her, and took her away; ;
and happier nest of singing birds than
that IN the little cottage among the rocks
and flowers could nowhere have been
found, unless it were in my own heart,
at the sight of the happiness there.
But then mother fell sick, and it took
allmy time to care for her; and | couldn't
go up to Louie's very often; for had
everything to do at home, and was tired
out by nightfall, and often up half the
night uesides. Louie couldn't very well
come down often; and if she had come,
she wouldn't have known what to do.
Poor motherl Once | remember, she
said TO me, II don't know but rs more
satisfactory to have one daughter plain.
than anything elsen And il made nv
heart bound. And then 1 reproached
my selfishncss in caring to have her saw
that over Louie's head, as it were; but /
remembered it long afterward, and some
times 1t used to give me throb of JOY
when everything was dreary, and /
seemed 10 be alone in the world.
For mother died presently. And then
1t turned out that she had been living on
her little property more than we had
dreamed, and Louies outfit and her
own long illness and its bills had used
up money. And when everything was
paid, they had only enough left for me
to hire one room as a sort of refuge wien
/ came home at night from working at
my trade; for had quite a knack at
dressmaking. did not put on mourn-
inSg for was glad That mother was out
of pain, and / was glad that she was
gone before she knew that all the prop
erty was gone, and she, with her proud
spirit, would have had to be dependent
But Louie did-and obi what a beauty
she was, with her black grapes falling
around her. 50 waxen, fair and rosy and
transparent OF course she didn't miss
mother the way l did. How could she,
with Dennis waiting on her every wishl
And she didn't seem TO want ANYBODY
but Dennis, either; so l didn't sec a
great deal of her, only when she had
something new to make UP. or some
thing cd to alter over; and then. she
and Dennis were out most Of the time,
strolling among the rocks or planting a
new fower-garden, or she was going to
meet him coming from his work, or run
ming into IL nest neighbor's, aero S the
pasture, and had almost nothing of her.
except at trying-on times. | used to
wonder at Louie then, a little, some
times; not for not sitting ut home sew
ing and helping me on the work, because
You might as well have asked a hum
ming bird to do that; bus for not taking
more interest in the house and keeping
things trig and tidy. And / used to be
afraid that if | were Dennis, and there
were holes in my socks. and half the but.
tons of my clothes, and my coat and hat
never brushed, and l came home and
found nothing for dinner-not even the
cloth laid-and my wife off enjoying
herself somewhere else, and the dust
everywhere so that l could write my
name, that shouldn't feel recompensed
for all that By having my wife stroll
round hsnging on my arm, looking as
pretty as a new-hlown rose. And vet al
though the house must often have been
uncomfortable to Dennis, he
never gave sign that it was not paradise
itself; an came 10 the conclusion that
he didn really miss those other things,
and was satisfied with what he had.
l used TO go up INTO the Eden some
times without being sent for. and mend
up everything, and put the whole house
straight; but couldn't go so very often
on account OF my work; and, beside,
had sensation OF intruding where two
people wanted but each other.
But at last the babies came; and then
/ had to 60. And Louie was wild with
delight, and insisted en- having them
laid on the pillow close TO her cheek, and
talked and laughed and eooed and cried
to them with such glittering eyes and
color in her face, and said it was
all she wanted, even If she were in Heaven
TO morrow
''But your husband, Iouiel" I ex-
''Ohl husbands are all very well, " she
said. "But haven't been such an aw-
fully good wife. You'd have made
Dennis great deal better wife, dear, for
the matter OF that. But my little sons
OH | know could be good mother"
She was in Heaven tomorrow, the
dear little innocent soul, and one of the
babies went with her.
was glad that the little badly went
too. For | remembered that she had I
said then she would have all she wanted;
because it troubled me to think that, for I
all his grief 10 day, Dennis wouldn't be I
like any other man in the world If he
didn't marry to<Norow, snd the other I
wife would have the lortr life with him